advice for lure fishing (beginner)

[ctrl]

Hey guys,

 

New to the forum and pretty new to fishing - there's so much to learn!

I'm wanting to start learning how to fish with lures, but having some difficulties with casting distance.

I have a 3-5kg fast action rod, i've attached some soft plastics with a jighead (not sure of the weight) but it doesn't seem heavy enough to cast the distance.

I'm reading that medium action rods seem to be the go for lure fishing, but is there any recommendations for lure fishing on a fast action rod? Is there a recommended jig head weight to use? or could i attach a sinker?

I'm going try and target bass when I go on a trip soon, I read that spinnerbaits and crankbaits are easy and fun lures to start off with?

Thank you - appreciate the help!

[ellicat]

Are you using braid with an FG knot to the leader ?

Often, new fishers will opt for line that is too heavy. Lighter is better. I use 10lb but 6lb or 8lb would be adequate for bass. It will make casting distance improve a lot. The thinner the braid, the better it will be, so brands do matter.

If you can't get the distance you want, up the jighead weight.

[ctrl]

I'm using mono 10lb - i'll have a look into braid and maybe a heavier jighead

Thanks for the reply!

[Rebel]

Welcome aboard & good luck.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi mate, 

Welcome to the forum. Your rod sounds about right for the fishing you're doing. Definitely switch to braid if you're planning on fishing with lures and tie a fluorocarbon leader (about a rods length) to the braid which then goes to your lure/hook. 

Depending on where you are fishing for bass, the spinnerbaits and crankbaits will be good. If you are fishing in a river near some structure, consider waking up early and giving a surface lure a go around sunrise, I have always found this a pretty fun way to catch bass. 

[ctrl]

Thanks mate, that's great info.

Planning a trip to lake st clair in NSW.

[Huxstang]

With lures you are generally casting around structure so distance is less an issue than accuracy.

Jig head weight controls both distance and the fall rate.  A lot of bites on plastics will occur as the lure is sinking through the water column.  You want a jig head weight that allows that natural fall and retains depth as it is retrieved.

You could try hard bodies or pre rigged plastics to start with.

[ctrl]

Thanks for the advice! 

Would you have any recommendations with what jighead weight for lake fishing with minimal current around 3-5 metres deep?

Thanks!

[Huxstang]

I’m a salty fisherman where is Bob when we need him.  I reckon I would be 1/4 ounce (7gms ) at the heavy end assuming you are fishing 2”” to 3” plastics? 

[mangajack]

The jighead has one purpose only...to give the selected plastic a suitable fall speed in the depth of water and the current encountered.

Deeper waters or high current areas obviously require the heavier jighead.

So a rough guide i use for soft plastics is 4 seconds a metre fall rate....seems to work well for snapper jew bream and flathead.

In 3m deep with minimal current and a fairly slim jerkbait I would probably use a 3.5 gram jighead, for 5m deep I would be using about 7 grams.

The weight of the jighead also brings about the key to using plastics....line control, without learning this you will fail with pleastics unless the fish commits suicide for you.

Line control varies between plastic types and target species, as a rule of thumb if you are fishing jek baits, curl tails, prawn imitation etc you will need to try and maintain a belly in the line between the rod tip and where the line enters the water....enough of a belly so a fish can suck the plastic right into its mouth. Fish a tight line with these plastics and you will miss most bites and have plastics chopped in half regularly.

Paddletails and swimbaits you fish tight....the fish will be actively chasing to lure to eat it.

in most cases you will flick or lift the plastic between 30cm and 60cm......more than this is usually less successful. When you lift the plastic you have two choices....keep the tip high and let the bait swim down to the bottom again or drop the tip and immediately take up the slack to the desired belly in the line.

Lastly and probably most importantly, DO NOT try and feel the bite, watch the belly in the line for twitches or pauses.....they are nearly always a bite that you will never feel anyway.

Braid is required for successful plastics fishing 100%.

Most bites on your plastic are a fish sucking in the plastic into their mouth, a split second later it is spitting it out again.....scents smeared on the plastic prolong the time inside the mouth by about 3 nano seconds giving you a lot more time to pin that hook into its mouth....well 3 nano seconds more anyway.

Enjoy your learning curve and don't get frustrated, pay attention and learn the art.

[Rebel]

Thanks @mangajack. Very interesting read.

[ctrl]

That's great info - thanks heaps mangajack.

 Will aim for a 4 seconds a metre fall rate .

I want to ask - why is braid so much more favoured than mono for lure fishing?

Is it  because mono has too much memory/curls, which affects casting? (also asking because i don't really want to remove a new ish spool of mono on the reel)

 

[mangajack]

7 hours ago, ctrl said:

I want to ask - why is braid so much more favoured than mono for lure fishing?

Is it  because mono has too much memory/curls, which affects casting? (also asking because i don't really want to remove a new ish spool of mono on the reel)

 

Braid is near zero stretch so every interaction with the bait by fish or bottom is transfered up the line very well. Mono is stretchy and will absorb all of the minor reactions and give you only senses of major interactions. The difference between the two is night and day with plastics.

Spending dollars on braid is worth the investment if you want to explore plastics fishing, that being said you do not need to spend the hundreds of dollars the fanatics spend on a spool. I buy cheap braid from AliExpress and find the 8 and 9 strand braid there to be cheap and decent as far as braids go. $25 for 500m of 15lb braid is good buying these days.

I am awaiting a 5000m spool of 15lb braid from Aliexpress this week. I am currently using some of the 20lb braid from the same supplier and find no issue with it after about a year of use.

[mzaakir]

16 hours ago, mangajack said:

Braid is near zero stretch so every interaction with the bait by fish or bottom is transfered up the line very well. Mono is stretchy and will absorb all of the minor reactions and give you only senses of major interactions. The difference between the two is night and day with plastics.

Spending dollars on braid is worth the investment if you want to explore plastics fishing, that being said you do not need to spend the hundreds of dollars the fanatics spend on a spool. I buy cheap braid from AliExpress and find the 8 and 9 strand braid there to be cheap and decent as far as braids go. $25 for 500m of 15lb braid is good buying these days.

I am awaiting a 5000m spool of 15lb braid from Aliexpress this week. I am currently using some of the 20lb braid from the same supplier and find no issue with it after about a year of use.

what is the line called from aliexpress? might have to check it out haha